My Onodera, Ritsu!
by Meian Rose
Summary: Onodera's quite the charming boy, and he was bound to develop a social life sooner or later. That being said, Takano was waiting right around the corner, quite literally, ready to do all in his power to keep that boy under his grasp, and his alone.
1. Chapter 1

...He knew Onodera was a popular boy.

Really, he knew that. The boy had charms, grace, and looks to kill for. He'd known that since the very start.

...However, he really hadn't anticipated _this_ many visitors, who were coming a _bit_ too close to regular.

The boy was a diligent worker. He'd sit there at his desk, lost in the endless amount of work thrown by none other than Takano himself. Occasionally, he'd sit there and chat with Kisa, or Mino, or Hatori, or step out of the room for a second to grab a refreshment or run something down to the front desk and back (save for the rare personal call).

Nonetheless, he was never out of his sight for longer than ten..fifteen minutes at a time, and he was completely content with those numbers.

He approved of Mino, he approved of Hatori, and he approved of Kisa. He'd known all along that the two of three were fond of their _own_ love interests, whether they tried to keep it a secret or not. He wasn't even sure if Mino was gay, but the two (being Onodera and Mino) hardly ever chat, barely exchanging more than a few words..

And it wasn't Onodera's fault, god no. That boy was so alluring, it should have been a registered sin! It just so happened that Mino wasn't quite as outgoing as the rest of his idiotic team of editors.

For the most part, that's _exactly_ how he liked it. Keeping a watchful eye on Onodera as he pleased, without facing any kind of consequence. Bonus points; Takano was his his boss, what was Onodera going to do about it?

_Well, save for filing a sexual harassment lawsuit. _

It came as no surprise, really, that Onodera was - sooner or later - going to develop his own personal life..They'd all known about it, and he'd heard his fellow idiots cracking a few jokes here and there.

Just the usual "Oh! Onodera's in such a hurry, he must be late for a very special date!" or something of the sort. Onodera was never around to deny nor confirm; The answer was quite obvious.

...Or at least, it should have been.

Onodera sighed loudly as his phone rang _yet again, _rushing to take the call outside. The others snickered quietly before earning an agitated glare courtesy of the man that distributes their pay checks, and quickly settled down.

That was the third personal call this week, all of unknown origin. Onodera hadn't revealed said mystery, who he assumed was a man. He would stumble out, fumble and shift on his feet while mumbling something of lame retort in response to the complacent voice.

After exactly five minutes of wasting time, Takano would pull him back inside.

And that wasn't the last time.

It was only on one particularly misfortunate day, Takano had caught Onodera in the middle of a hushed conversation in the hall, on the phone, with a fairly _obvious_ blush, that he had decided to confiscate the phone.

Despite that, the man didn't seem to get the hint..and neither did Onodera.

"T-Takano!", he would protest, "What's wrong with you? You can't just take-!"

Takano silenced him with a glare, "If you have time to flirt, you have time to work."

Reading the atmosphere, the boy would merely obey and throw himself into a fit of silent rage, knowing very well the events that may occur should he defy Takano _again_.

Really, that man wasn't afraid to show him who's boss.

_Ring._

But apparently, that wasn't enough.

"Hello?"

"T-Takano! Don't answer my phone-!"

_Another_ glare.

_"Onodera? Is that you? I called to make sure you weren't backing out on me tonight!"_

"Onodera is very busy right now, he's very behind on his work and as his boss I would appreciate it if you would please stop calling him."

_"O-Oh!"_, the voice nervously chuckled, _"I see! Well..I...j-just be sure to let him know that-!"_

Said Emerald editor sat with a defeated smile, awaiting punishment.

Takano's frown was promising; He squeezed the cell phone tightly.

"Onodera.", he warned, "After work, I need to speak with you. If you will please refrain from leaving early."

The rest of the workers caught wind, silently pitying Ritsu. Other's, merely cooed like elementary children, under the impression that Onodera was in _trouble_.

As for Takano, he merely sat there, tapping a pencil against the desk as he worked, never dropping the evil aura he wore around his skin.

And, that time came _quickly._

The others had all left, emptying the suddenly dim room in an attempt to escape the hell that their demon boss was sure to rampage. Onodera in their prayers, they scrambled for the exit.

_Such reliable friends, aren't they?_

"Onodera."

"T-Takano..I can.."

"Please, explain."

He thought for a moment, "W-Wait, I don't have to explain anything to you! M-My personal life has nothing to do with you..If it's the phone you're worried about, surely I'll just..I'll turn it off. I'm very sorry!"

"That's _not_ what I'm worried about."

"If..If that's not what you're worried about, I have no reason to be here!"

Takano grabbed his arm before he bolted for the exit, "You're wrong in that sense. There's always a reason for you to be here. I'll gladly give you one."

Ritsu stubbornly pulled away from the man as the distance grew lesser, "I-I'm sorry about the phone! It wont happen again, I swear! Have a good night!", he called as he rushed out the door, into the nearest elevator.

"Oi, Onodera!"

* * *

By the time Takano came close to catching Onodera, he'd lost the boy on the train. Or rather, the train had lost _him_. Marveling in his sudden stroke of bad luck, he decided to head home on his own.

They were neighbors, after all.

However, to his surprise, Onodera had yet to arrive. The door remained locked, and when he'd knocked, he received nothing but the sound of his fist, echoing through dry wall.

But, he was determined. He would sit outside of his apartment all night, if he had to.

...Then again, waiting just behind the door was fine too. Onodera still had hell to pay, after all.

* * *

In the end, he'd waited at least an hour and a half, before the rushed sound of footsteps slipped past his doorway. And he was _ready_.

.. Mostly ready. He hadn't expected the duplicated sound; Steeper steps that ran after the first few. The sounds collided, until the sound of a door slamming snapped him back into focus.

Cracking the door, he faced an unfamiliar figure.

This boy looked not too much older than Onodera..around his mid twenties, perhaps?

He had shoulder length, dark, black hair similar to Onodera's, save for a few stray strands here and there that gave his hair a bit of a ruffled, messy look. His brown jacket, that looked _much_ too similar to Onodera's, was soaking wet-Likely due to the sudden downpour of rain. His jeans were a saggy, soaked mess.

..In other words, he looked rather unpleasant.

To top it all off, his face looked quite flushed, and his deep brown eyes were heavily dilated.

"O-Onodera!", he huffed, loudly knocking on the door, "Open up! We haven't finished talking!"

_"I-I have a lot of work to do!"_

"Then do it with me!"

_"I'd rather not, I'm very sorry! Maybe some other time!"_

"Onodera!", he whined, "Come out here or I'll come in there!"

_"N-No!"_

"We were already halfway there..! What more do you want from me, just because..", he slurred, "I'm just a little, little, little bit tipped doesn't mean I've saved none of me left for you!"

"Please leave!"

"Reward me and I'll leave!"

"Reward you for what?!"

"I..", he slurred, "I'll think of something! One goodbye kiss, Onodera! Ritsu!"

_One last goodbye kiss?_

_...As if Takano would let Onodera kiss the likes of him...!_

Through a crack in the door, Takano watched as Onodera struggled out of the room, with a heavy frown stuck to his beautiful face.

_..Was this man even capable of reading the atmosphere?_

Before Onodera knew what was happening, or before he could tell the invasive man off, he found himself pressed against the wall, arms wrapped around his neck, with roaming hands trailing the length of his body. Ritsu had pushed away-

The distance was growing shorter, and soon..!

"_Onodera._", growled a stern voice, "If you have time to flirt, you have time to _work_."

"T-Takano!", his head snapped up in one sudden jolt, oblivious to the man who dipped his head on Ritsu's shoulder, resting there.

Rudely, Takano intervened.

He pushed the man out of his way, _particularly away from Onodera_, and grabbed the boy's wrist, dragging him into the nearest door, which just happened to lead to his apartment.

Takano locked the door behind him, allowing the constant knocking to die down, silencing Onodera in a chaste kiss while he awaited the _intruder's_ departure.

It hadn't taken long before the drunk man had given up.

Once then, he'd freed Onodera's lips.

"T-Takano-!"

If only for a moment.

"Onodera.", he growled into his ear as he pressed his editor up against the wall, trapping him, "I want to know who that man is. I want to know how long you've been seeing him; How long you've known each other. Don't try my patience, please."

"I..", he sped up his words, "I haven't known him long! I met him at the convenience store..He wanted my number, that's all that happened! H-He wanted to go out for drinks but I-I said no! H-He told me..just once, and he'd stop asking.."

"Really? Tell me why he's wearing your jacket."

Onodera looked down around himself, as if his own flushed body held the answer, looking up with a slight blush as he suddenly noticed how exposed he was.

..Not exposed, per say, but enough to get kicked out of work should he ever arrive in such an outfit.

His white button up was undone half way down, revealing a crucial part of his bare chest. His pants were lazily undone, and his shoes were all but long forgotten.

Not to mention his hair was a matted mess, as Takano _insisted_ on running his fingers through it.

"He..He passed out..I..I just didn't want him to catch a cold, that's all! Honestly, I didn't mean any-!"

Takano silenced him with his hand, "You didn't mean anything by it? You honestly believed you were doing the right thing; That he would see your gesture as nothing more than a token of friendship.", he laughed in a tone that neared cruelty, "I can't take you seriously. After all this time..You still believe no one is attracted to you? You're still so naive. Do you've any idea how many people would kill to be in my position? With no one else but you in their sights, claiming your soft lips?"

"T-Takano..", he whispered as the hand gently pulled away, revealing his heavy blush.

"You're all mine, Onodera. Don't ever forget that. No one else is allowed to feel this way about you..Only I'm allowed to love you, do you understand? No one else. Please, don't be selfish."

"Y..You have..a lot of room to call someone else selfish, T-Takano..!", he half whispered.

With a silent tear of joy rolling down his cheek, he nodded. This time, never fighting as Takano kissed his lips, gently at first, then taking on a fearsome aggression.

And Takano didn't want to stop. Partially out of his own enjoyment, partially out of fear.

Fear of the fact his editor - _no_, - Ritsu may forget the taste of his lips..Fear of the fact that one fateful day, he may lose his precious Ritsu, yet again.

..So, he would just have to remind him.

Ritsu was, is, and always will be _his_.

_His alone_.

And at that time, Ritsu seemed more than willing to comply as familiar, warm hands began to roam his damp, rain soaked body.

_As promised, his boss had kept him busy all night long. _

* * *

**A/N:**

** Probably the most suggestive thing I've ever written. Sorry, I'm too much of a wimp to write a lemon. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Summary: **

**Life had just about returned to normal for the Emerald department editing crew, for the most part. Onodera was waiting for the little incident to blow over, but just when he was ready to celebrate and thought he might be able to breathe with just a little ease, a certain man had decided to take an internship at Marukawa. Now, Takano's issue lies within keeping said intern's grimy little hands off his _Onodera, Ritsu_.**

** It ****_really_**** pissed him off.**

** So, now it's a race and _all_ is at stake. And frankly, Takano has no intention of losing to that pathetic excuse of an intern who just so happens to have his sights set on the prize. That prize, naturally, being Onodera. **

**Disclaimer: It's pretty obvious but I heard that you were supposed to include this, so whatever. I don't own any part of Sekaiichi Hatsukoi.**

* * *

It all began one day, during work.

Onodera was progressing, Kisa was texting under the desk, Mino was smiling, Hatori was threatening his author's life for the sake of turning in a manuscript.

So, all was as it should be.

Or at least, it _should_ have been.

The last thing Takano had expected that lovely evening, was the sudden intrusion of a man who looked far too familiar for his liking. As if he'd expected such a reaction, he smiled at Takano, in a way that _almost_ could have passed as friendly.

Onodera looked back at the man who walked in, bearing a fairly large stack of paperwork, and immediately bowed his head.

"T-Tomohisa-san!"

"Morning, Onodera-kun! Nice to see you as well, Takano-san!"

Takano hummed in acknowledgement, but refrained from making any eye contact in fear of literally glaring a hole through the poor man's head. Onodera hadn't noticed, and simply put it off as he pressed the conversation on.

"What are you doing at Marukawa? I didn't know you had a job here."

"Well, I have an internship, but the minute I heard you were working in none other than the infamous Emerald department, I had to look for an excuse to come see you! So Aikawa-san gave me this", he gestured toward the large stack of paper, "and sent me up here."

"That's great!"

The man identified as _Tomohisa_ dropped the stack on Takano's desk, earning his attention. But, before Takano was able to kill him, he turned his attention back towards Onodera.

Leaning closer to Onodera's desk, he broke into a low whisper, "I still have your jacket, would you like it back? I think I have time after work today, I can return it to you. When do you get off?"

Onodera thought for a moment, "I usually don't get off till..well, late at night, I'm sorry. But you can keep it, if you wish!"

"Nonsense!", he smiled, "I wouldn't feel right about taking it. You look so good in that jacket, it was practically made for you, y'know?"

"_Moron._"

"T-Takano-san! Please don't be rude!"

"I'm talking about you."

"What did I do?!"

"Get back to work and stop being chatty! Damnit, everyone get back to work! Kisa, stop texting, Mino, no complaints, Hatori, go to that author's house and assert your authority!", he paused for a brief second to point at the intruder, "And you! Stop distracting Onodera and go back to your own division!"

All was silent in the office as they stared at the angry Takano. You could practically see the overwhelming aura of _death_ surrounding the man, and as expected, they quickly jumped into work, save for Onodera.

Onodera quickly bowed his head and mumbled an apology to the man and sighed, sparing a single glance at his boss, before getting back to work.

Thankfully, the work day was almost over. Takano made a mental note to get Onodera alone, and reassert his position on the subject. Surely even Onodera had enough common sense to listen to Takano's reasoning, right? ..Even if there wasn't too much actual reasoning involved.

"Onodera.", he called as the boy packed his belongings and gathered his things in an effort to leave.

"What..is it?"

"Stay behind for a moment."

Kisa and Mino both laughed at Onodera, stating he was in trouble, and cooing much like kindergartners.

_..Hadn't something like this happened before?_

Onodera readied himself, awaiting Takano's attention as he stood before his boss's desk, head bowed respectfully and all, save for the frown and furrowed brows present.

He was straight to the point, "I told you, I don't like it when you get all chummy with people from other departments. It's _annoying._"

"And I told you, it's none of your business who I hang out with! He just.."

"He wanted to return your jacket, right?"

He nodded, avoiding Takano's gaze.

"Right, so he's already made an excuse to come to your house, and do you know what's going to happen next, Onodera?"

In a vain attempt to ignore his boss, he looked away. But, before he could make a break for the door, his boss stood up and held his chin within the grasp of his hand, forcing the boy to look him in the eyes.

"He's going to make an excuse to stay, and you're not ready to assert any kind of dominance over anyone. The most you would do is send the boy mixed signals, and keep him coming around."

"He's not like that! Please, don't assume every man I hang out with-!"

He was unable to finish his sentence, as his boss took the liberty of closing the gap between them and forced his mouth shut with his own.

Onodera was sure he was blushing wildly by now, but he knew that was out of his control. Rather than staying and arguing another minute, knowing exactly what it would lead to, he ran out of the room and far away from his boss, as well as the desire to be devoured.

Now, wasn't it ever so fortunate that the two just so happened to be neighbors?

So, there Takano was, outside the door of his apartment, waiting for the second time that week.

This time, he wasn't just going to hide behind his boy and tackle the idiot. No, that was too merciful. Ritsu was going to submit, whether he liked it or not, and it all likelihood, he was _definitely_ going to enjoy the surprise...eventually.

The elevator opened, and he perked up.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here."

..Seriously? _This wasn't the idiot he was hoping for! _

Takano nodded in acknowledgment, "Where's Onodera?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." he cocked his head to the side, "Say, why are you here? I know you're neighbors and all, but don't you think that maybe, waiting outside the door of your editor is probably crossing the line between boss and subordinate?"

He shrugged, "If it is, what does it matter? I have my own reasons for bothering Onodera, how about you?"

His smile never faded, "I have my own reasons just as well. Honestly, I never thought we would meet again after that night at the bar. I know I was probably way out of line, and I apologized like, what, thirty times this morning, but he just wouldn't take my calls. When I found out he just so happened to work at Marukawa, I couldn't help myself."

"..Why are you so interested in Onodera?"

"Why?" he thought for a moment, "I guess..Many, many reasons. I can't choose just one. I guess on one hand, he's the one and only heir to Onodera publishing, I noticed that right off the bat."

"How?"

"Before taking an internship at Marukawa, I actually had a part time job at his father's company. I just so happened to be his personal assistant. While getting close to his dad, I somehow got closer to his family as well. One day, while cleaning out his filing cabinet, I just so happened to find a picture of Onodera stashed away. I was a little surprised, actually. I had no idea he had a son."

"_That's_ your reason for sniffing around Onodera? His father's company?"

"Well..Not _exactly_."

Takano shifted an uncomfortable glance in his direction, raising to stand and leaning up against said editor's door.

"Don't you think it's a little too coincidental to just so happen to meet your former bosses son at the convenience store, who just so happened to have taken a job where you're now interning for college credits?"

"So what do you propose? Some higher power has given you the chance to see Onodera again, and now you're going to intrude on his personal life? Is that it?"

The boy chuckled, a complacent smile forming ever so slowly, "I guess you could say it sounds a little shady. But doesn't the same apply to you, Takano-san? You don't think a boss sniffing around his poor, unsuspecting subordinate is just a little strange? I wonder if the other co-workers know about this..Does anyone else in the Emerald division even know that you two are neighbors?"

He huffed, "Why would I keep it a secret? I have nothing to hide. And if you value Onodera's respect, you should keep your mouth shut. I've known him long enough now to know that he wont appreciate it if you go around spouting nonsense about us."

"Oh, trust me, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your relationship.."

"Your face says other wise. I can tell you want a lot more than what you're getting from him now. So what is it?"

"Sharp as ever, I see."

"What the hell are you talking about it?"

"No need to get defensive." he raised his hands as if he'd surrendered, "I can assure you, I have no ill intentions. You might wanna hear me out before you throw me out, though."

"Why would I want to do that, when I can get rid of you now?"

Throughout the heated argument, Takano never dropped his stern look, and somewhere along the way, he'd folded his arms. He glared at the ceiling, avoiding the smaller man's smug gaze.

"Onodera's a charming boy, isn't he?"

"Obviously. He attracts even the lowest of people.."

Inwardly, he hadn't excluded himself.

"I see. Well, I just wanted to stop by and visit Onodera, now that I know where he lives."

"I'm surprised you remember his address. You didn't look like you were very focused, last time."

"True." he chuckled, "But not exactly. I was more or less faking it."

Takano felt himself twitch, nonetheless, refusing to acknowledge the man any further.

"I think I'm gonna go.", he flashed a quick smile, reopening the elevator, "It was nice chatting with you, Takano-san. I'll see you again soon."

In a rage, Takano threw himself into his room and quickly dialed the first number on his contacts list.

* * *

"Masamune, I know I said I'd always be there for you, but dealing with you when you're angry is much similar to dealing with a child who lost his favorite toy."

"Onodera is my favorite toy." he corrected, "And someone else is playing with him."

"Is that what you're angry about? Someone else has taken an interest in Onodera?"

Reluctantly, he nodded, taking a sip out of his mug of beer.

Currently, he and an old friend were sitting knee to knee at the bar, exchanging complaints as well as drinks. Sure, it wasn't the healthiest way to deal with things, but it was better than what he'd first had in mind.

Homicide was still illegal, after all. Unfortunately, _'The asshole had it coming'_ was not a plausible defense.

"Yokozawa." he huffed, "You've had these problems too. What do you expect me to do? If I lash out, Onodera's just going to bitch at both of us for acting like children. If I stay quiet, he'll fall into the arms of that idiot. I want to clip his wings."

"Well, as much as I'd like to tell you that it would all work out in the end, you're not the kid's one and only...But, even so, as little as I know Onodera, from what I've heard, he's going to avoid a relationship with either of you rather than try to decide. So, worst case scenario, he'll reject you both, but at least Tomohisa wont have him either."

Takano bitterly nodded, knowing very well that was most likely _exactly_ what was going to happen.

..But, on the other hand, if this was in fact a race for Onodera's affection, perhaps now was a good time to kick it up a notch. After all, he was certainly a few steps ahead of anyone else, by now.

* * *

**Winning Onodera's Affection, Day One! **

**Attempt: Catch Him After Work!**

As for Onodera, he returned home shortly, and quickly fell asleep..unfortunately, on the floor, but nonetheless. So, all in all, it started off as a normal day.

He woke up late, rushed to change and take a sip of some energy water before hastily running off to work, knowing he was going to get quite the scolding from his boss.

But, after that, the day took a turn for the worse.

He was right about the lecture, he received one, but it was cut short by a sudden intrusion. Tomohisa had made yet another appearance and greeted the Emerald team, who, all except for Takano and Hatori (as Hatori was busy with his author, yet again) returned his bright smile.

Onodera was a little put off by the glares the intern and his boss seemed to shoot each other, but he paid no heed.

No, what really shook him happened_ after_ work.

He was almost done. Just a few more pages in need of correction and he was good to go. He was definitely going to finish this at work, for once, and he was definitely going to go home without any problems surfacing, specifically, courtesy of his boss.

Comfortably, and smiling faintly to himself, he leaned on one arm. The dim light of the room provided a warm atmosphere, which threatened to lull him to sleep. He never complied, though. He wouldn't hear the end of it if he ever fell asleep in the work place. So, he flipped the pages around and shifted in his chair in an effort to distract himself.

"Onodera?"

He spun around to face a smiling Tomohisa, "You're still here? I thought you would have gone home by now."

"Aikawa needed one last thing." he shrugged, "I thought I may as well pay you a visit while I was still here. I'm heading home after this, though."

Onodera nodded, "Me too. I was just finishing-"

"Editing?"

He rubbed the back of his head, knowing it was just a bit self explanatory, and shot a sheepish smile.

Tomohisa seemed to perceive the smile as an invitation to sit down next to the editor, and glance at his work.

_A little close_, Onodera noticed.

The position only worsened when Tomohisa decided to affectionately wrap his arm around the boy's neck and lean in, until Onodera no longer had any personal space to call his own.

"Hey."

"T-Takano-san?"

Sighing, his boss stood in the doorway with his arms folded classically, "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you both have gone home by now?"

"Y-Yes!", Onodera quickly sat up, careful not to his Tomohisa, and gathered his things before rushing for the door.

But, before he'd managed to escape, Takano grabbed his arm and shot Tomohisa a deadly glare in Onodera's blind spot.

"As for you.." he began mercilessly, "Please, stop distracting my editor. He's already behind as it is."

"I am not!", he protested.

The smaller man nodded understandingly, "I get it. I see, no fun for Mr. editor until he's done with all his work."

Boldly, he stepped forward and grabbed Onodera's free arm, leaning on his shoulder, "Does that mean we can play when your work is all done?"

Oh, Takano was _definitely_ going to kill this kid.

**Point: Tomohisa!**

* * *

**Winning Onodera's Affection, Day Two!**

**Attempt: Corner Him!**

* * *

"Rittie, that looks really painful!"

"It's fine, Kisa, stop worrying!"

"But, Rittie, it only takes two pounds of pressure to force your nose into your brain. You're gonna die!"

"I'm not going to die! It's just a bruise!"

"But Rittie!"

"Knock it off!" he whined as Kisa insisted on touching his injured nose.

Unfortunately, Onodera had made the tragic mistake of getting distracted while fishing for books, and bent down to tie his shoe just underneath the overflowing book shelf. After a slight rustling, he looked up, and a stack of books toppled over, landing right on top of him. Unfortunately, his nose was hit the hardest.

Now, he wasn't bleeding, and frankly it didn't hurt as much as it should have, but according to Kisa he had received quite the nasty bruise. To top it all off, if he didn't hide it before Takano returned, there was definitely going to be some hell to pay.

So he rushed to the bathroom before Kisa could over react any further. Quickly, he stopped at the nearest editing department _other _than Emerald, and politely asked one of the girls for assistance with his pretty little bruise. Luckily, the nameless woman agreed and seemed to be more than a little entranced with his beautiful baby face, _though no match for Kisa's, she noticed_, and got to work right away.

By the time it was over, Ritsu was alone, in the men's bathroom, gently poking at his wounded area. The pain had numbed by now, but it was probably best to keep the pressure asserted to a minimum from now on.

..After all, he wasn't sure if what Kisa had said was true, but he definitely didn't want to take that chance.

"Onodera?"

Naturally, he couldn't have been left to his pain alone.

"Morning, Tomohisa."

"What are you doing in here?"

"N-Nothing." he lied, "I was just getting back to work."

"Wait a minute, Onodera, you have a little something-"

"D-Don't touch-!"

Unfortunately, before Onodera could move to block the invasive man, he'd managed to brush his nose and pull his hand back, rubbing the unfamiliar substance.

"..What is this? Is that make up?"

He quickly shook his head, "It's not..It's just..I needed.."

"..Your hobbies, are your hobbies."

"I-It's not like that!"

He chuckled, "I take it you've got something you need to cover up. I'd have a pretty good idea if it was on your neck, but seeing as it's right on the bridge of your nose and no other part of you looks that _shiny_, I'd say you had it out with someone?"

Onodera sighed, "A stack of books fell on top of me. It's no problem."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"That's not good. Two pounds of pressure is all it takes to shove your nose right up into your brain, you know? I should probably check it out just to be sure."

"I-If that happened, I would have died, I'm fine!"

"I'm just making sure!"

The invasive man got closer and closer until Ritsu was backed up into a wall, and found no escape. The man had pressed both arms on either side of his head, blocking off any exit.

The door opened.

"Onodera, are you in-"

"T-Takano-san!"

"..Oh, hey there, Takano-san!"

"What the hell are you two doing?" he glared, specifically at Tomohisa.

"Nothing!", Onodera quickly shouted, pushing the man off him, "Nothing! He was checking..my..face...", he faltered.

Takano remained silent, much to Onodera's dismay.

A silent Takano, was an _angry_ Takano.

Tomohisa was the first to break the deadly atmosphere, throwing his hands behind his head and smiling innocently, "I'm pretty sure Aikawa needs me. I'll just be off."

The door shut, and Onodera was_ sure_ he was dead.

"Onodera."

He gulped as his boss approached, closing the distance between them.

This continued until Onodera panicked, "I-I'm sorry! I really..Nothing happened!"

Before he could dig his own grave any further, Takano grabbed the boy by his chin and roughly forced a kiss, shoving Onodera up against a wall. Now positive the editor was going to give him hell, he released the boy, reluctantly, and left without another word.

Now, in Takano's own made up language, that could have meant two things:

"I forgive you, I believe you, I love you."

Or,

"You're dead. I'm not done with you. I love you."

In which either one was _definitely_ no good for Onodera in the long run.

**Point: Takano!**

* * *

**Winning Onodera's Affection, Day Three!**

**Attempt: Confess Your Love!**

* * *

Onodera ran to work with caution that morning. At this point, he really didn't want to run into Tomohisa, or Takano.

Honestly, those two were pushing him over the edge. All week they'd been acting strange and he just couldn't figure out why. Sure, that was the norm for Takano, but Tomohisa being thrown into the mix was just a little tough to bear. He'd never really imagined he'd run into a situation where he was literally cornered in the bathroom, pressed up against the wall, by anyone other than Takano.

And now that his worst fear had just come true, he really didn't want to come to work at all that day.

But, as he was a dedicated editor who really enjoyed having food to-

Alright well that was a bit of a stretch. He enjoyed having the money to purchase convenience store lunches every day so he may repeat the same exhausting cycle every morning.

Hell week had yet to approach, at the very least.

"Sorry!", he quickly apologized as he bumped into someone, and refrained from looking up, expecting the worst.

"Onodera? You know you're running late, right?"

He looked up, "H-Hatori? Where are you going?"

He frowned and furrowed his brows, knowing the answer was obvious.

"..Is your author really that far behind?"

He shook his head, "No. He's not a complete idiot, either, but he likes to pretend that he is. Thus, he likes pulling me out of work whenever he has the chance."

"..Why is that?"

"Why? Obvious reasons."

"..Reasons?"

"Yes, reasons. Reasons that are going to cost me my job one day, but reasons."

"..Is Takano-san in today?"

"Is he in? Of course he's in. Unless he's dying, he's not necessarily the type of guy to take a day off...Why, do you need to see him?"

"Absolutely not!"

"..Is this about that new intern? Did something happen?"

"..Intern? What are you-Oh, Tomohisa-san? As far as I know, nothing happened."

"..Great."

"W-What?"

"I have to deal with another indecisive moron."

"Hey! That was rude!"

He sighed, placing a hand on his own head, as if feeling for a headache, "Trust me when I say you don't want to play this game. You're going to end up hurting one of them, and if you value their friendship, you'll make your decision and move on."

"..What are you talking about?"

"Onodera, Takano has feelings for you, doesn't he? And so does Tomohisa, am I right?"

"..How did you know about T-Takano-san.."

"_Everyone_ knows about Takano."

"How?!"

"How? It really wasn't that hard to figure out. Takano isn't as subtle as he should be. And Kisa's more or less an expert in _this_ type of territory."

"...How long have you..?"

"Let me think..Has it been..two months, now? I'm not sure."

"W-Well..aside from that..I, I, uh..I, don't want his affection..so.."

"That doesn't explain why you were so hurt when Yokozawa made his appearance." he hadn't let Onodera protest, "And now the same thing is going on, except you're in Takano's place. He wants you all to himself, and so does Tomohisa."

He took a look at his watch before swearing, "Bottom line, make your choice, and make the _right_ choice. We don't need those two butting heads at the office."

With that, Hatori ran off in an unknown direction, off to an unknown destination, to his best selling mangaka, for unknown reasons..Not that, at this point, it was very hard to guess.

* * *

Work had gone by with no intrusions. He was sure that was the end of it.

He'd somehow finished his day in peace, working extra hard and focusing to get his work done so he wouldn't have to take it home, and now, he was shuffling for the keys to his apartment.

"Onodera!"

"Onodera."

He spun around to meet two different faces.

One was the smile of the newest intrusion, Tomohisa.

The second was the stern face of his boss, Takano, of course.

"What are you doing here?" Takano accused, glaring in Tomohisa's direction, "Shouldn't you be fetching coffee for Aikawa or something?"

"Well that wasn't very nice." he pouted playfully, "I'm just here to visit my dear friend. I have the right to do that, don't I? Whereas I don't believe Onodera would feel very happy about his boss pestering him on his precious time off at home. This is supposed to be his time, right?"

"He's my subordinate. I can do whatever I want."

"He's my friend. I can do whatever I want." he mimicked in a mocking tone.

"That type of attitude is exactly what Marukawa _doesn't_ need."

"I think you're just a little too on top of your co-workers. That's definitely something Marukawa doesn't need."

"_Both of you, shut up!_"

The two turned their attention back to Onodera, who stood in front of his door with a _very_ stern face.

"I'm tired of you two at each others throats! It's stupid and you're both fighting for presumably very stupid reasons, so please fight elsewhere! I'm tired and I want to sleep!"

"Onodera!" Tomohisa raised his voice, "It's time that you decide! Are you in love with your boss, or are you willing to give me a chance?"

"Give you a..chance..?"

"Onodera!" this time, it was Takano, "Don't listen to him! You know he can't love you like I do."

Tomohisa shifted to look at Takano, his smile faltering, "L..Love?"

He shrugged, "I assumed that's what we were fighting for."

"But..I..didn't know that you loved him. I thought you were just.._special_ friends."

"Seriously? You think that's why I want Onodera? Sure, he may be sexy, but there's more to him than any of that, that someone like you would never be able to see."

"I..had no idea.."

"L-Love?", Onodera repeated.

He already knew this, but hearing Takano say it so proudly to another man..All because of some stupid complex he had to this man who for some reason, wanted to win Onodera's affections as well.

Takano, by now, has had just about enough of this stupid little game.

"Tomohisa." he snapped, " I don't want to see you sniffing around Onodera again. He's mine and mine alone, understand?"

"T-Takano-san!", Onodera protested.

"I love Onodera, and I'm not going to lose him again. So if you even think about coming around here again, I'm definitely not going to let you off. I'll mark him if I have to. Understand that his love belongs to no one but me."

Tomohisa was speechless. He didn't know whether to feel disappointed, surprised, embarrassed, or all of the above. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for the moment to pass, because before either one knew it, Takano had pushed the door to Onodera's apartment open, dragging the unsuspecting editor inside, shutting it.

Tomohisa took his cue to leave.

* * *

Inside the apartment, things were heating up quickly.

"Onodera.", he whispered in his ear as he held the editor against the wall again, "I love you."

"I..Takano-san.."

Takano silenced the boy, pulling him into a kiss until Onodera pulled away, out of breath.

"From now on, I want you to be selfish. Keep your love directed at me, and no one else. Got it?"

"I..What..L-!"

Takano hadn't waited. He attacked his editor again and pulled his jacket off.

And while Onodera fell to the mercy of his boss, he couldn't help but wondering just _what_ he was going to do with this man, who stole his love so selfishly.

**Point: Onodera!**

* * *

**A/N: **

**I don't know a thing about love so I'm not sure why I write about it so often. **


End file.
